If you grew up in the 80's, you probably remember Gauntlet. For those who don't, the simplest way to describe it would be: an overhead maze shooter. In other words the action takes place in a maze, viewed from an overhead perspective, and it involves shooting, along with the odd puzzle. It was a big success and - unsurprisingly - it spawned a lot of variants. Some of them were good (the Druid trilogy) and some of them were not so good (Dandy). Thankfully, Into The Eagles Nest is one of the better ones.
The action takes place in in four different floors of a WWII German castle. You access these by using the lift, but in order to use the lift you must first find the lift-pass. Some searching is in order then. Your mission is to free the three prisoners that are located in the basement, first and second floors, and then blow up the castle. In order to blow up the castle you need to set the four detonators, one in each floor. An awful lot of searching is in order then. And it's not easy. For starters, ammunition is limited. There are supplies in the castle, but not excessively so. So don't waste your ammo. Furthermore, the place is crawling with German soldiers. You can take a lot of hits, and there are medical supplies here and there, but things are far from effortless. And finally, there's the maze. While not labyrinthine, you won't get far without a map.
All in all, that's good stuff. Almost. There's two faults which - annoyingly - spoil what could have been an exquisite gaming experience. Firstly, the scrolling isn't that good. Instead of the screen moving seamlessly, it works so that first you reach the limits of it, and then it moves abruptly to the next section. Not so easy on the eyes. Secondly, the game structure is a bit rigid. You start with the ground level, find the lift pass, proceed to one of the other floors, find the prisoner, escort the prisoner to the exit in the ground level, find the lift pass again, proceed to one of the other floors.. See what I mean? You have to go through the ground level every time you rescue one of the prisoners. That's just bad game design.
Despite these flaws, the game is quite good. So check it out.
Scroll down the page, and you'll come across my review of McKids for the NES, which just so happens to be the original version of this game. So, the Amiga version (and any other version for that matter) is a conversion of that.
McDonaldland/ McKids is a weird game. Inside of it there is the basis for a cracking gaming experience, and yet no version of it fulfilled the promise. The NES version plays too fast and rigid. The DOS version plays too fast and rigid and lacks the graphic charm of the NES version. The C64 version is the most atmospheric of the bunch, but apart from that it's a technical disaster. And now, here's the Amiga version.
So what do you do in McDonaldland? Well, it's a platform game, so you travel across the levels of six different worlds in pursuit of Hamburglar, who stole Ronald McDonald's magic bag. In each level there is a hidden McDonald's card which you must find in order to proceed further. After you've done so, you must then find the level's exit. So, primarily, McDonaldland is an exploration game. There are baddies around, and to get rid of them you must pick up and throw crates at them, Blues Brothers-style. Be careful though, baddies respawn and crates don't, so think twice before you waste them.
McDonaldland is far from linear. To quote from the NES version review: "McKids has a lot of clever ideas in it: walking upside down, springs, non-linear routes, shortcuts, mazes, different types of gravity, trolleys etc. It's a good game which will appeal if you like some mystique into your arcade endeavors".
The good news is that as far - as far as the gameplay is concerned - the Amiga version is the best one, thanks to the pace being more measured, and the controls being more fluid. Hurray. Alas, every rose has a thorn, and where the Amiga version falters (sort of) is in the atmosphere. The programmers did their own thing with the graphics and music, and their bright and sugary renditions of the levels and tunes lack some of the charm and personality found in the NES and C64 versions. It doesn't matter. Overall, this is the version to get.
Batman on the Gameboy is considered a classic, though it's debatable whether it stood the test of time well. It got ace reviews back in the day. Nintendo Magazine System gave it 91% and commented "with small, but nicely detailed graphics and excellent sound, Batman is one of the most addictive Gameboy platform games around".
Alright. So, the plot is taken from the Tim Burton film, which was hugely popular at the time. You wouldn't be able to tell though. The game for the most part involves controlling a tiny Batman sprite, jumping on platforms and shooting enemies, Super Mario Land-style. Although the action takes place in locations like the Chemical Factory, Gotham City, and the Gotham Cathedral, it feels like you play a generic Batman game and not a conversion of the 1989 film. That said, there are some nice (static) cutscenes.
Although basic, the platforming shoot-em-up action is well done and addictive. Jumping is a bit sensitive though, which means that it's easy to either jump too high, or too low, and thus miss the platform you're supposed to land on.
For further variety, there are two scrolling shoot-em-up sections, R-Type style, where you're flying the Batwing and shoot at a multitude of enemies. Hmm, didn't see that in the movie. To be honest, it seems that the game designers aped Super Mario Land (it also had a few scrolling shooter sections). It's pretty much the same thing.
The game's difficulty curve is reasonable, neither too easy, nor too difficult, until you reach the final level which is nigh on impossible - unless you've managed to retain all the power-ups from the previous stages. The music is pretty good throughout. And that's that. Batman on the Gameboy is a solid platform-shooter which will appeal, but not thrill.
My first acquaintance with the bizarre world of McKids came through the C64 version, which was titled McDonaldland. It got OK reviews (71% in Commodore Format) and I was into platformers at the time, so I tried it out. I liked the atmosphere, and it was clear there were some nice ideas in the game, so I sort of liked it - at first. However, when I made it through the later stages in the game, something began to feel off about the C64 conversion: it felt unfinished. But it was only when I came across the NES original that the extent of how poorly programmed the C64 version was became evident: a rush-job that in later levels bore very little resemblance to the original.
But let's leave aside the C64 version and take a look at the NES one. Let's be clear about this, McKids has a lot of clever ideas in it: walking upside down, springs, non-linear routes, shortcuts, mazes, different types of gravity, trolleys etc. It's a good game which will appeal if you like some mystique into your arcade endeavors. That said, I feel that it could be better. There aren't many enemies around, and to make up for this the programmers have turned the pace a bit on the fast side. I would rather have more enemies and a slower pace. The music and background graphics could also be more atmospheric. It would have added enigma and fascination.
I feel like I'm not done with McKids though. I'm gonna try out the Amiga version (also titled McDonaldland) and see whether they finally nailed it there. There's also a Gameboy version but from what I've seen it's not much cop.
Ocean was, arguably, the most popular software house back in the late 80's and early 90's, and their specialty was movie conversions, often labeled as "the Ocean tie-in". So here is the game that started it all, Batman The Movie (along with The Untouchables).
What Ocean did in these two film licenses was to present a mix of gaming styles, the most prevalent of which was the platforming shoot-em-up. Ιn Batman, that is the case for levels one and five, which take place in the Axis Chemical Factory (where Jack Napier becomes the Joker) and in the Gotham Cathedral (where the final showdown occurs) respectively.
These two sections are by far the best in the game, offering solid platforming action with a twist: Batman can swing from platform to platform using the batrope, Bionic Commando-style.
To add spice, levels two and four offer isometric-3D racing action, the former featuring the Batmobile - which allows you to drive in a fast and precise manner, the latter utilizing the Batwing - which is slower but more difficult to maneuver. Finally, level three is a minor puzzle sub-game. All good stuff, which follow the plot of the film surprisingly well. As a fan of the movie back then, I wasn't disappointed. However, what really sets this game apart is the fantastic music by Matthew Cannon, which really gives it an atmospheric edge, particularly in the later levels.
So that was it, with an enormous hit on their hands, Ocean had a mold, which they used to shape later conversions like Total Recall,The Terminator 2 and Darkman.
What we have here, my friends, is one of the best (if not the best) puzzle games ever made. Forget about Tetris and Bejeweled. These games are only puzzle games in the vaguest sense of the term. Sokoban is the real deal.
So what is Soko-Ban anyway? Soko-ban stands for warehouse keeper in Japanese. And that's what the game is about. As seen from an overhead view, you push crates in a maze, and you're supposed to put them in specific places. That's it. It doesn't sound like there's much to it, does it? Think again. Try the game and you'll see what I mean.
So what about this Commodore-64 version? Well, it's as good as any. Admittedly, it's a bit on the slow side, and the turquoise graphics are not exactly state of the art, not to mention that the sound is practically non existent. But the playability is there, and that's what matters.
There are 50 levels in total, but in the cracked version that I have tried there is a bug in level 42 which prevented me from proceeding any further. Apart from that, there is a level editor so that you can come up with your own designs, should you feel like it. Personally, I have never bothered with designing by own stuff, but you can't really complain about such a feature.
Remember the Bruce Willis movie "Hudson Hawk"? No? Can't say I blame you. Nobody seems to, seeing as it was a huge flop in general. It did spawn this noteworthy game though, released in 1991 by Ocean. Now, back then, Ocean had developed a reputation for producing worthwhile movie conversions. The problem is, following the big success of Batman The Movie and The Untouchables, Ocean's record seemed to get stuck in a groove, as far as movie conversions went. They featured the same formula again and again. That is, a bit of platform action, a bit of driving, a puzzle mini-game, some Op Wolf-style shooting etc.
Thankfully, Hudson Hawk escaped this treatment, going instead for a full-fledged platform game in the vein of Rick Dangerous. One notable difference with Rick is that the levels in Hawk are more horizontally structured, whereas the levels in Rick are more vertically orientated, but apart from that the comparisons are very apt.
The great thing with Hudson Hawk is how cinematic it is. There is a clear plot that is being followed, advanced by neat cut scenes, and the levels have their own unique character as Mr Hawk goes to various different locations to steal the works of Leonardo Da Vinci.
The gameplay is also pretty good. This is not your bog standard platform fare. Every level features it's own little surprise, whether that is crates that have to be used in creative ways, elevators, spikes, slides, alarms that can be set off, machines to be deactivated, and so on. It's only at level three that the game seems to run out of breath, and settles for a rehash of what has been seen previously. Oh well. The controls could be a tad sharper, although I feel that they've been intentionally done like this, to compensate for what would otherwise be a very easy game.
Right. And after another one year absence (oops!) I got the urge to post something..
Here's a platformer released by Codemasters in 1992, in the later stages of the C64's commercial life.
There's two things to note here. The first is that in the early nineties platformers were extremely popular, with Mario on the SNES and Sonic on the Mega Drive leading the charge. The other thing to notice is that Codemasters had a hit in 1991 with the cute platformer CJ's Elephant Antics, and so started releasing more games in exactly the same style (CJ in the USA, Stuntman Seymour). DJ Puff is also like that, a CJ clone in all but name.
What this all boils down to is that you're running around throughout the various levels (5 in total) shooting (not jumping on) enemies. The graphics are pretty good, colorful and well drawn. The music is also very good, catchy and jolly, the SID chip making us proud once again.
Imho the gameplay is not as hot as in the first CJ game. There's something about it which feels a bit off. It's a bit on the slow side, which can make you miscalculate your jumps every so often. The level layouts are not particularly inspired either. There's something about them which feels a bit un-smooth, they don't flow that good. Also, levels one and three are clearly superior to the much blander levels two and five. And let's not forget that often jumps into the unknown might not appeal to everybody.
That said it's not a bad little game and if you're into 8-bit platformers you should check it out. Just don't expect the stars. Oh, and one other thing, should you want to try the game out, get an original tape or disk image. The cracked versions all feature a bug in level 4 which makes it impossible to proceed to level 5.
So here's one from the golden era of C64 arcade-adventures. In this game you come across a magical book, which makes you travel to the dimension of Heartland. Therein you have to find the missing pages of said book, while also destroying six evil duplicate pages.
C'mon, they stole the plot from The NeverEnding Story.
Anyhow, this is the kinda game where you have to explore each level in search of certain items (in this case book pages). Apart from that, you need to collect protective spells, cause there's lotsa enemies lurking around. Also, stay alert for evil spells, which can hit you and deplete valuable energy. Oh there's a time limit too!
This game isn't exactly what you'd call terribly ambitious. In many ways it's a typical arcade-adventure from the mid 80's. Mind, it's still a lot better than, say, a shoot-em-up.
Where the game scores highly is in the atmosphere department, with five graphically brilliant levels, each carrying it's own distinct theme. Check the longplay and if you like what you see, check the game too..
Hey guys. I know I haven't posted anything in a year, but I don't want this blog to die. I'll change the approach a little bit though. Instead of posting reviews in the previous style, I'll post quick reviews, accompanied by a longplay video in YouTube, which should display the gameplay of any given game better than screenshots. Here goes then..
Breakout games were extremely popular for a brief period during the late 80's (roughly 1987 to 1989), yet they all originate from much earlier, namely Breakout, which was released way back in 1976, and in turn was influenced by the grandfather of all computer games, Pong. All the classic C64 Breakout games come from this period in the late 80's (Arkanoid, Krakout, TRAZ, Batty), while we've rarely heard from Breakout-land ever since (although it seems to have staged a comeback in the indie PC-gaming scene lately). The concept is extremely simple: you control a bat at the bottom of the screen, with which you must fend off a ball, which bounces around, destroying blocks.
For my money, Batty is the second best Breakout-type game on the C64 (after Krakout). While it has the fatal flaw of most Breakout games, namely that the ball gets too fast too soon (resulting in a frantic but also impossible gaming experience), apart from that it's a classy game. The graphics are colourful and vibrant (including cute enemies which shoot at you and momentarily stun you), the sound is appropriate, the controls responsive, and the ball movement has believable physics. But there's also a bonus, a simultaneous two-player option. To be honest, that's Batty's real trump-card. Without that, it would be just another Breakout game, OK, but not exceptional. With it, it's a good game.
OK, technically this isn't a retro game, rather a new game for a retro system. Now, I don't mean to be hard on people who keep on making new games for systems like the C64 (their efforts are much appreciated) but seeing as this is not a business anymore and purely a hobby, most of these new games are pretty basic, and wouldn't even qualify for budget titles back in the day. Nevertheless, every now and then a game comes along, which is up there with the best of them. We've had It's Magic 2, Newcomer, Zoomania, and now we have Knight 'n' Grail.
I don't think there's any need going over the specifics of the plot. Knight 'n' Grail is an arcade-adventure (an exploration shooter if you like), whereas you play the part of a knight getting along some quest in a castle. You find new swords, new armours, and new power-ups as you progress, each with different abilities. These items can be either accessed by pressing the space bar, which brings up the inventory system (along with a map), or by using the F1 and F3 keys.
The settings of the game might remind you of something along the lines of Ghosts 'n Goblins, though the actual gameplay and atmosphere resembles more of something like the caverns in Shadow Of The Beast. Also, the way you use your firepower (each sword has a different direction of shooting) reminds of Creatures (which also used the same method).
But enough with the past. What sets Knight 'n' Grail apart is it's mesmerizing atmosphere. If you isolate any of the game's elements, they don't seem so special by themselves. The graphics are very good, but not extraordinary. The music is lovely and adds a lot to the haunting atmosphere, but it's a bit simple. The gameplay is fun, but nothing we haven't seen before. But here's what happens, somehow, when these elements get combined, they form a magnificent game, with an unrivaled magical atmosphere, whose only fault I can think of is that it's a bit short and easy. Check it out.
And now, for something completely different: a Game & Watch. Remember these? Some of the cool kids in school had them. They were a series of, pretty basic, handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from 1980 to 1991. And when I say basic, I do mean basic. Effectively these games are simple reflex tests. Nevertheless, for one reason or another, they do have a certain charm. Besides, take a look at the Nintendo DS. Doesn't the layout look extremely similar to a multi-screen Game and Watch?
Mickey Mouse is one of the earliest Game and Watches, dating from 1981, so the gameplay is pretty basic, even for G&W standards. Basically you play Mickey, as he's trying to catch eggs coming from four directions, having four buttons at your disposal, each button for each direction. And that's it. Like I said, pretty basic stuff. I can't really rate such a game high, but I can't deny it has that certain retro charm. Btw, true story, my girlfriend had this as an original and she kicked my ass on it when we tried it recently. Fascinating, huh?
Right, before I start on this one, I wanna say that, for me, the original Gameboy remains the ultimate portable gaming system. There is something which just feels right about the basic B&W graphics, which sort of reduce the games to the basics, which is when you can really tell whether a game is good or not. Now, about Kid Dracula, which is a sort of parody of the Castlevania series: this is pretty much your basic platformer, but done right.
I suppose the thing which makes the game stand out is that you get different attack-powers as you progress, and the game puts you in situations where you have to use every one of them. Also, despite the basic Gameboy graphics, the game succeeds in giving each world a distinct and charming look. Finally, there is variety to be found here. You don't just shoot and run, each level has something different to offer than the previous one. So there you have it, this is pretty good game, which you should try if you're into the Gameboy, or retro games in general.
Omg, second mini review in a row. How can this be. Ahem. Anyway, Microprose Soccer is generally considered one of the two best football games on the C64 (the other one being Emlyn Hughes). For the record, I consider Emlyn a superior game, but overall my favorite C64 footie game is Liverpool, which came out very late in 1993, so not a lot of people are familiar with it. Now, I hadn't played Microprose Soccer in a while, so it was interesting coming across it once again. I used to like it a lot back in the day, but then I sort of recognized all the flaws it has.
The thing is, Microprose Soccer has a very rigid structure. It doesn't have the chance factor which all the great football games have, like Sensible Soccer. Tackling and scoring in Microprose Soccer are very formulaic affairs, very robotic I should say. Nevertheless, as you progress against superior teams, the game works this disadvantage to it's favor, by getting really hectic, and you rushing to implement even what they are very formulaic tactics. So, I'll give it a positive score, because you can have fun playing this, just as long as you don't play it for too long.
Ok, so I hadn't written anything in ages, and I still don't feel like writing a long piece, taking too many snapshots and so on, but I thought I'd write a quickie instead. I was looking for games to play, so I came across DoReMi Fantasy in one of Racket Boy's features. It's your typical platformer, whereas you embark on a quest, and you jump and run (and shoot) on opponents. So here's the thing, Do-Re-Mi Fantasy is a little masterpiece, perhaps even better than Super Mario World.
Why is that? One thing: the lovely graphics, comprising the equally lovely worlds, which are also enhanced by the lovely music. Oh, the gameplay is excellent too. It plays like a cross between Super Mario World and The Addams Family, with a bit of Robocod thrown in for good measure. It's also easier than any of these three games, which in my book makes it better (I really don't like excessively difficult games). But like I said, the graphics, wow, they really make you "live" the whole experience. Check it out and you'll know what I mean.
Hey guys, I'm gonna start uploading Commodore Format issues again, seeing as the Commodore Format Library went bust. So here's issue number one (click).
It was as late as October 1990 that Zzap64 got a powerful competitor in the form of CF and the soon-to-be mighty Future Publishing. Future meant business, getting together a good team (including many ex Zzapsters) and also quality monthly covertapes, thus forcing Zzap to raise it's game.
This first issue is quite nice. Within it's 100 pages there's reviews of minor classics such as Time Machine,Lords of Chaos and Iron Lord, as well as Murder - the famous game that wasn't. Also of note is the intriguing disk-only adventure Mean Streets. On the features front, there's a presentation of the then brand new console C64GS (basically a C64 without a keyboard, and with only cartridge games), while on the covertape there's at least a classic in Tau Ceti, as well as neat demos of Ivan Stewart's Off Road Racer and St Dragon.
By the way, this issue was kindly contributed by Mort from the Zzuperstore. Mort has scanned an impressive array of retro computer magazines, so pay a visit (click) and see if you're interested in buying something.
Hey retro maniacs. Sorry for the lack of activity. I've been a bit busy with.. stuff. Sure I love retro gaming, but there's only so many things you can do in your spare time. Anyway, so let's talk about NBA Jam. Originally, NBA Jam was a basketball arcade game (aka coin-op) from 1993, and quite good it was too. Like most good arcade games, it benefited from not being too complex, not offering a simulation of the sport, but rather a simplistic version of it, but which was playable enough to entice both the basketball buff, as well as the occasional gamer.
Now let's be clear about this, technically speaking, this Sega Mega-Drive conversion is excellent. The graphics are brilliant, the action is fast and furious, and even the voice commentary has been retained from the coin-op. But let's take a look at how the game is played first. Well, no nuclear science here, you pick your NBA team and then go head to head with the computer (or a friend) on a match. The action is being portrayed from a horizontal semi-3D view, similar to television footage, and also reminiscent of Commodore's ancient International Basketball, or even 1987's Basket Master.
The game uses some poetic licence in that you don't get to play with all five players, as normal in basketball games. Instead you play only with two, the stars of the team, say, Shaquille O'Neal and Scott Skiles in the case of Orlando Magic. This not only simplifies things, but it also speeds up the action. Another thing that is ommited is the fouls and resulting free throws. Again, this works in the game's favour since it speeds up the action significantly.
However one aspect which the programmers got wrong with this conversion is the difficulty. In fact, it's possible to "hijack" the game, so to speak, by using the following little trick. Now, in NBA Jam there is this thing whereas if you score three successive times while the opponent doesn't, you get "on fire" and your chances of scoring increase dramatically. You are also rewarded with the ability of interfering with the ball while on its downward flight to the basket, which is normally a violation.
Herein lies the game's loophole. If you do that on an opponent's shot, while the game considers this as a violation and thus as a scoring shot, if you proceed to score, it considers it as if you've scored while your opponent hasn't (even though the score is normal). So by doing this, you can easily get "on fire" and thus win all matches easily. It is because of this little bug that I give this 7/10 and not 8/10. Thankfully, the following NBA Jam Tournament Edition omitted this flaw and as such is the version to get.
